Year 5 Exemplars: Overview

Curriculum overview

The theme for Year 5 is Factors that shape the human and environmental characteristics of places.

The interactions between human and environmental processes give rise to much of the diversity on the earth. They also produce much of the wealth and many of the problems confronting humans and their environment.

Inhabited places get many of their characteristics from the interaction of human and environmental processes. Changes made by people include building, land clearance, transport systems, mining, drainage and agriculture. There are also more diffuse changes such as pollution and climate change. Consequences can be intentional or unintentional, desirable or undesirable. Some consequences are not apparent until long after their cause.

Bushfires are one of Australia's many hazards, and they are caused by the interaction of natural and human factors. Many of the key interests of geography are illustrated by the interaction of these factors within a specific place.

About the illustrations

Illustration 1: Bushfire stories aims to engage students in a story about children of their own age investigating the geographical issue of bushfires. The story contains a lot of information about bushfire causes and prevention. There are stopping points in the story where students can be asked to reflect, predict and research before they read on. The story can be used to motivate, involve and instruct students about the important place of bushfires in Australia.

Illustration 2: Planning your local place – fieldwork and beyond focuses on fieldwork in the local area. Suggestions are given as to how the fieldwork could focus on local issues, or be experiential, focusing on a sense of place. Either way, the skills and techniques of doing geographical fieldwork are developed, as are the techniques of presentation. Students can then be asked to use their imaginations as well as their field experiences to suggest ideas for better planning for their local area.